Imagine a lotus in full bloom in a lake. A beautiful, pink flower that takes our breath away and stands tall in the waters. Isn’t it? However, there is a lesser-known fact about lotuses. The magnificent and sacred flower emerges from muddy waters and still mesmerises us.
Likewise, everyone has hidden beauty buried under layers and layers of emotions that hold us back. Here is the story of a person as magnificent as a lotus flower who pushed her way through muddy waters to emerge at her full potential.
Meet Ankita, a PGDM graduate from the esteemed Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Her story is a testament to the rocky journey of self-discovery.
She is a member of a joint family that includes her grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, and her parents. She was the only child of her parents and was especially close to them in the family.
Despite living in a joint family, Ankita loved her personal space. She left her ancestral home at 15 for higher studies and graduation for eight years. She currently lives in Gurgaon, Delhi, with her mom. The transition from a bubbly, cheerful school kid to an introverted adult wasn’t easy on her, hence, she invited her mother to live with her.
New places, new perspectives and experiences always give a fresh start to a person and clear their mind to incorporate new thoughts. Ankita loved doing yoga and travelling extensively to help her gain insight into all the new experiences that helped her grow personally.
“I was introduced to the YourDOST services via my college as they had subscribed to the organisation as their official mental health partner. I met my counsellor, Ms Sanjana Anwar Ali, on the platform, and she has been my guiding light ever since.”
Ankita had a 4-year long relationship during her graduation days which came to an end abruptly. The loss of a loved one and feelings of isolation caught up with her and drove her to the edge. The shift to Bangalore for her MBA and the fast-paced life at IIMB weren’t helping her, and she began experiencing anxiety attacks and social anxiety to the point where going to the classroom or even the canteen was difficult for her.
“I started staying back in my room, and when the pandemic hit, I didn’t leave my room for a month. This situation stirred something in me and pushed me to get professional help. I was diagnosed with clinical depression and general anxiety disorder. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that this was happening to me.”
Ankita did not take the medications prescribed to her as she felt weak and did not feel the need to help herself. Therapy with Ms Sanjana was like a ray of hope in the dark, and she gradually started accepting herself.
“Initially, I cried and was hopeless during sessions. Today, I feel much better by taking medications and talking about my emotions out loud. I’m striving towards self-love and self-development by taking therapy and keeping my life sorted.”
Ankita was introduced to cognitive behaviour therapy/CBT by her counsellor. She realised that mental health is not something that transforms with medications but is a long-term process that helps with better mental well-being over time.
Sanjana helped her through anxiety with the box breathing techniques, love and kindness meditation for sound sleep, and the 5-4-3-2-1 technique to keep her mind from fidgeting about overwhelming thoughts.
“I started noticing the changes in my personality as I developed a sense of self-awareness. I started recognising negative thoughts and counter-questioning them to assess their relevance.”
Ankita began separating herself from her thoughts and found peace in doing tasks assigned to her by her therapist.
Initially, Ankita had a hard time loving herself and doubted her worthiness. With the right therapy methods and exercises, she started loving herself and improved her self-esteem radically.
“I started accepting myself as I am and surrounded myself with people who did the same. I used to feel like a burden on my parents and never saw any value in myself. All that changed, and I started prioritising myself over everything else.”
Ankita improved her decision-making skills and had faith in her decisions and intuitions. She overcame the fear of failure and started believing in the quality of the work rather than the aspect of failing at something.
“Ms Sanjana makes my life worthwhile and helps me feel better. I’m eternally grateful for her being there for me and helping me come a long way. Her sessions are the best part of my day. and I feel happy after each session.”
Ankita rose to the surface of the muddy waters with sheer determination and rated herself a solid 4 on 5 in terms of feeling better. Improvement for her meant any small positive changes, being aware of her thoughts and answering difficult questions in her journey. We look forward to the day Ankita rises with a golden 5 and blossoms into a magnificent version of herself.
Ankita’s Warrior Tips:
1.“You’re never alone in your journey; always seek help whenever needed.”
2.“Asking for help makes you courageous, not weak.”
